Padres 6, Reds 5: Sweet Revenge! The Padres responded smartly to my mockery and name-calling by winning their second straight game, their first successive wins in a month! The Padres came back against the viciously squeezed Reds bullpen, outlasting the undermanned vistors until the 16th inning. Nick Hundley hit a walkoff bomb off tired starter Micah Owings. The Padres move into third place in the West despite owning the league's world run differential. Max Scherzer picked up his first career win versus Braves in Atlanta. 6 innings of shutout ball will do it almost every time. The Dodgers couldn't pick up Eric Milton in his first start back. Not for a lack of trying .400 hitter Juan Pierre! Pierre went 3 for 5 with a triple and two steals in a losing effort. Juan Pierre is tired of carrying the Dodgers. It takes 25 men to walk away with a division title.

Blue Jays 2, White Sox 1: J.P. Riccardi has a pretty easy job. Find carcass, prop carcass on pitching mound, await results. Your first place Toronto Blue Jays got 8 innings of 3 hit ball from Robert Ray to sneak by the White Sox. 2 runs in the bottom of the eighth secured the win for the Blue Jays. Alex Rodriquez's only hit of the day proved to be a crucial won, a walkoff two run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning. The much-maligned Yankee bullpen blew another save but held the fort long enough for A-Rod to do his thing. The Red Sox beat the Mariners, the Rays beat the Tribe and even the lowly Orioles won on Saturday, meaning every single team in the American League East won on the same day. East coast bias indeed.

Mets 9, Giants 6: Now that's a duel of the day! The Mets touched Randy Johnson for 7 runs and 11 hits in only 4 innings, picking up mortal-for-a-day Johan Santana. The four earned runs sent Santana's ERA skyrocketing to a pedestrian 1.36. Carlos Beltran added three hits (two doubles) to raise his average to a cool .379. The Phillies beat the Nationals 1.67 times in a single day! The second game of the double dip was cut short due to rain and society's complete rejection of the Washington Nationals baseball club. Raul Ibanez hit three home runs on the day, an act of Spanish solidarity with his number 1 booster Rob Iracane.

Brewers 1, Cardinals 0: Suppan! I knew I should have selected this game as the Duel of the Day. Scattering 6 hits over 7 innings with only a single walk is good stuff, the 2 perfect innings from the bullpen is icing on the cake. Pity poor Adam Wainwright, his 8 innings of 2 hit ball was marred by a Corey Hart home run in the fourth. Milwaukee takes over first in the NL Central, winners of 4 in a row. The Cubs extended their hitting streak to five games against LeTroy Hawkins and the Astros bullpen. Cubs "Closer" Kevin Gregg gave up 4 runs in the top of the 9th without recording an out but Alfonso Soriano saved the day in the bottom of 9 with a game-winning single. I'm sure Real Cubs closer Carlos Marmol won't be shy about pointing out to whomever will listen that he struck out the side in the 8th inning.

Today: I'm taking my kid to her first game, my first of the season. You're on your own scumbags. Roy Halladay is pitching but Sandy Koufax is dead so that can't be your duel of the day. How about AJ Burnett versus Kevin Slowey? That sounds dueltastic! Texas will try to take the brooms to the Angels, who hope they're returning starter will last more than two pitches.